Top 20 Photos of 2020
2020 is a year most of us will never forget, no matter how much we try. It has been a year of highs and lows. For our studio, it was not the year we’d hoped for, but we also have been able to weather the COVID storm and the temporary shutdowns. All told, we photographed 189 events including weddings, seniors, families, headshots, special events, newspaper gigs, sporting events, team photos and commercial projects. In total, we shot just over 215,000 photos. We went back and forth, trying to narrow those 215,000 shots down to our top “20 photos for 2020”, and it was a tough task. Please don’t take it personally if your photo is not in this list. We could have made a top 2020 for 2020 but we think that would have been a bit too much. So, with that said, here we go, in no particular order… our top “20 photos from 2020”…
Lillian this is your Time
Canon 5D mkIV, EF70-200 f/2.8L @ 150mm, 1/600sec at f/4.0 ISO 640, Natural Light
Lillian and Aaron were one of our 2020 wedding couples. This shot was captured just moments before Lillian walked down the aisle. She was overwhelmed with emotion; just the struggle to make a wedding happen in the midst of COVID was so hard. But after months of deliberation, paring down a huge guest list to fewer and fewer people as the restrictions got tighter, it was finally her moment to say “I do”.
The Mashas Family Goes Wild
Bryce, the one in the white baseball hat in the middle, was one of our Class of 2020 seniors. We were able to capture this fun photo of him and his family. There are so many little things going on here. Every time we look at it, we see something else that makes us smile. But what always draws us back is Bryce’s dad, the one in the Cowboy hat in the center top; that is just perfect!
Canon 5D mkIV, EF24-105 f/4L @ 31mm, 1/200sec at f/8.0 ISO 100, Profoto B10 Plus, Wescott 7’ Umbrella
Anya - A Force to be Reckoned With
Canon EOS R6, RF28-70 f/2L @ 39mm, 1/200sec at f/8.0 ISO 100, Profoto B 10 Plus and Profoto B2
Anya is one of our Class of 2021 seniors from the Union Endicott School District. We started her session in the studio and when we were just about all packed up to head to the school for track themed shots, she remembered that we didn’t shoot in this outfit. I am so glad we set back up; this ended up being such a killer shot!
The Greedy Camel
We visited the Adirondack Animal Land in August, a drive through zoo in Gloversville, NY. When you enter, you can buy cups of feed and as you drive through the park, you can feed many of the animals from the car. Well, this camel spotted a cup of feed in the center console of the Highlander and decided that he would help himself…. he made an unbelievable mess in the car and it also made for an unforgettable moment.
Canon 5D mkIV, EF16-35 f/2.8L @ 16mm, 1/640sec at f/7.1 ISO 6400, Natural Light
A Tasty Treat in the Eagles Nest
Canon 5D mkIV, Tamron 150-600 @ 600mm, 1/1250sec at f/6.3 ISO 1600, Natural Light
In the spring, we heard about a bald eagle nest near Sayre, PA, that gave a unique view. It took some searching to find it but once we did, we had to agree. It’s one of a kind! The nest is in a tree on a steep bank below the roadway, so when you stand at the guardrail you look down into the nest that is about 50 feet away. While this image may be a bit much for some, it’s just the circle of life. Here, an 8-week-old bald eagle enjoys a tasty treat delivered by the dad.
Becca in Turnouts
Becca is a Class of 2021 senior at the Owego Free Academy and a member of the Owego Fire Department. (Coincidentally, back in the late 80s and early 90s, Sean worked with her mom in the Owego Fire Department and Emergency Squad). Becca had some really great ideas for her session, and one was to use red and blue (school colors) smoke bombs in her bunker gear and with the fire trucks. We have to say, this was a GREAT idea!
Canon 5D mkIV, EF70-200 f/2.8L @ 70mm, 1/500sec at f/2.8 ISO 120, Natural Light
Dude, do you even CrossFit?
Canon 5D mkIV, EF24-108 f/4L @ 35mm, 1/200sec at f/9.0 ISO 100, Profoto B10 Pus, Westcott RapidBox XL
We did a session with a group of guys at GSR CrossFit this year. Our focus was on dramatically lit shots emphasizing their extreme effort and fitness. In this case, Phil was working the dumbbells. The angle and position of the light played perfectly in showing off the hours he put in to get where he is today.
Aries my Man!
This shot of Aries is from the Senior Parade for the Class of 2020. It was a tough year for the group, missing out on many of the traditional senior events. A new event was created for them where seniors could decorate their cars and then have the police escort a parade of around 150 cars from the school down through JC, ending at Northside Park where they received SWAG and got a lot of photos taken. There were so many wonderful moments from this parade, but in this moment, that smile, that joy…. it just comes right out of the photo. I don’t know Aries at all, but in every interaction with him, his smile was infectious.
Canon 5D mkIV, EF70-200 f/2.8L @ 200mm, 1/1000sec at f/3.5 ISO 100, Natural Light
Laura and Nate Starting 2020 with a BANG!
Canon 5D mkIV, EF16-35 f/2.8L @ 18mm, 1/60sec at f/3.2 ISO 1600, Profoto A1X
This was the very first photo we took in 2020. Laura and Nate were married on New Year’s Eve and at the stroke of midnight, as the confetti flew, we captured this moment between them. Their first year of marriage has been a roller-coaster. Laura works in the Wilson ER and is feeling the overwhelming effect of COVID. They lost someone dear to them, and their family business has been affected by lockdowns. But through all of it their love has remained strong and moments like this, we hope, can help them push through it all.
Keira Walks on to a New Chapter in Her Life
Keira is a Chenango Valley senior in the Class of 2021. They brought us the idea for this shot and after a big group effort to build the perfect still life of items in the foreground, we captured it! We think it matched their vision and we won’t tell you about anyone tearing up when they saw it…
Canon EOS R6, EF85 f/1.4L @ 85mm, 1/8000sec at f/2.0 ISO 100, Natural Light
Mary Kate on the Big Stage
Canon 5D mkIV, EF24-105 f/4L @ 24mm, 1/200sec at f/4.0 ISO 2000, 2 x Profoto B10 Plus, Westcott RapidBox XL
Mary Kate is also a CV senior this year. We did her session in the Broome County Forum, it’s hard to find a better backdrop then that! The hardest part of shots like this is the balance of the dimly lit background and matching the strobes on her in the foreground, but we think this mix is just right.
Logan and Nathaniel - Fun by Definition
Engagement sessions are always so much fun. We try to get shots that show the couple loving each other rather than just posed together. This shot of Logan and Nate embodies this fun and emotion. Frankly, it’s impossible to look at them and not smile.
Canon EOS R6, EF28-70 f/2L @ 54mm, 1/200sec at f/4.0 ISO 100, Natural Light
NEOWISE the 2020 Comet
Canon 5D mkIV, EF16-35 f/2.8L @ 16mm, 20.0sec at f/2.8 ISO 400, Natural Light
In July 2020, the NEOWISE comet streaked past the earth and was the subject of so many photos. We set out on one clear night to a dark spot an hour and a half away to try to get the best shots we could. We set up on a dirt road, miles from the nearest house, with no cell service, and with a huge pack of coyotes hunting disturbingly close to us. We would shoot a long exposure shot, then scan the area with our flashlight, looking for glowing eyes, then shoot another shot. While we have many that are closer and more dramatic than this, this one, with the glow of the sunset, just seems right.
Goldfinch Reflected
We were lucky enough this year, to add the EF100-400 to our stable of lenses and the first day I tried it out, we were delighted to have a pair of goldfinches at the feeders and in the birdbath. This photo just struck us both with the reflection. The bird bath was made by Melissa’s brother, Steven, from Pennsylvania blue stone.
Canon EOS R6, EF100-400 + 1.4x Extender @ 560mm, 1/400sec at f/10.0 ISO 1250, Natural Light
Dome Collapse
Canon EOS R6, EF28-70 f/2L @ 28mm, 1/50sec at f/6.3 ISO 100, panorama stitched from 6 captures, Natural Light
In a 24 hour span from December 16-17, mother nature dealt one more 2020 style throat punch by dumping 39-41” of snow on our area. The Press and Sun Bulletin asked us to go out and take photos of the first snow, assuming that we would get the forecasted 12-16”. The shoot ended up having a bit of a different complexion after record breaking levels of snow accumulated. One of the things we photographed was the dome at the Greater Binghamton Sports Complex. At 125,000 square feet, this massive inflatable structure collected an immense snow load and under that weight, it collapsed. When we arrived to survey the damage, we were invited by the staff to climb on the structure and photograph it from the center of the destruction. It was so slippery, Sean ended up slipping, sliding, and falling his way across to the middle where he got this shot. Along the way, in one of his falls, he must have spun the shutter speed dial on the camera from the 1/500th he wanted to 1/50th and he didn’t realize it until after he had finished. This is where the in-body image stabilization and amazing dynamic range of the R6 saved the day and we were able to recover an extremely blown out photo.
Courtney and Ryan Serenaded by a Waterfall
When we set out to have an engagement session for Courtney and Ryan, we got a nice surprise. We were at Stair Park in Vestal and when we got to the park, we could hear a trumpet being played somewhere nearby. When we got to the big waterfall, we found a guy sitting on the top of the falls, playing. We asked him if he would mind being in the background of a photo and he agreed so in this photo you can see him ghosted into the background serenading our couple. You just never know what you will find! What makes this even more special is that Ryan played trumpet in high school so there was an additional connection to the moment.
Canon 5D mkIV, EF85 f/1.4L @ 85mm, 1/60sec at f/5.6 ISO 100, Natural Light
Syvannah - Showing Two Sides of Service
Syvannah is a Johnson City Senior from the class of 2021. She is a cheerleader and a firefighter, and we shot both of those subjects in her session. In this shot, we wanted to get something different and something bold. She and her family loved it and we think it is just a very unique look.
Canon EOS R6, EF28-70 f/2L @ 70mm, 1/200sec at f/9.0 ISO 100, Profoto B10 Plus, Westcott RapidBox XL
Sisters - Set the Cuteness Dial to 10!
Canon EOS R6, EF70-200 f/2.8L @ 90mm, 1/500sec at f/3.2 ISO 250, Natural Light
These two cuties and their family joined us for a family session this fall. The older sister has been with us for sessions going all the way back to her first Christmas at about 8 months old. We love to follow a family as they develop and watch the kids grow up. I actually have a drawing hanging at my desk that the older sister drew for me. This moment was just really great; you can’t look at this photo without a smile.
The Vestal Six
Six best friends from Vestal got together for a session that was a blast this year. We shot them with green and yellow smoke bombs, cap and gowns, for some reason… crop tops, and at the end, jumping in a pool. So many of the shots could have made this list but this one just always struck us because, heck, who doesn’t want to fly?
Canon 5D mkIV, EF24-105 f/4L @ 60mm, 1/500sec at f/8.0 ISO 1250, Natural Light
Hoop Problems
Canon 5D mkIV, EF70-200 f/2.8L @ 70mm, 1/400sec at f/4.0 ISO 4000, Natural Light
While this photo is not really inspiring, the story behind it is! That’s what makes it close out our 20 for ’20 list. Union Endicott was visiting Johnson City for a boys’ varsity basketball game. At some point, JC’s Xavier Hill broke away and hammered home one of his signature dunks. The only problem was that in the process, the backboard rotated on the post it hangs from and was no longer square to the court. Athletic Director Paske and Coach Spalik had to push it back into position with long aluminum poles while both teams and the entire crowd cheered them on.
So that’s it! Thanks for looking. 2020 has been…. Interesting? Let’s hope for a much better 2021 and look for the Top 21 in ‘21 coming a year from now.